Keys to the Heart
by YAJJ
Summary: Axel never realized how important those kids were to him, until something happened to them. Set in Days. Rating changed for language...
1. Chapter 1

Keys to the Heart

A Kingdom Hearts fanfic

**YAJJ**

**Date**: 8/20/2014; 9:35 am

Inspired by Raberba girl and her fantastic AkuSaiRokuShi fanfics. It's also slightly written in her style, too... *sheepish blush*

Disclaimer: No, I still don't own Kingdom Hearts. :(

* * *

Saïx put Roxas and Xion on a mission together, again. It was a boss battle, and normally one or the other could handle it on their own; kids though they may be, they were very powerful. But Saïx didn't feel up to losing either of their two Keybearers, so he placed them together and expected perfection.

It was a creature called "Iceman". In Halloween Town, supposedly somewhere in the Graveyard. So Roxas and Xion equipped their panels to the teeth with Potions and Magic and abilities and headed on their way.

Axel, exhausted from a mission to Atlantica that had nearly ended in his termination, didn't get to see them off like he usually did.

Instead, he slept until eleven and then wandered into the Gray Room, being watched by Saïx and Demyx. He slumped onto a couch beside Demyx and leaned back against it, practically falling asleep right there.

His mission was to go to the Coliseum. Olympus Coliseum, just poking around for clues and destroying any Heartless who got in his way. He made it to Twilight Town early, purchased an ice cream, and made his way to the top of the tower.

He ate alone that night, the kids never coming up to meet him. He waited for two hours up there, letting his ice cream melt, then decided that they must have had an early day, or were still working at it, and RTC'd straight into his bed.

Come morning, he awoke considerably earlier (well, ten) and went to see if the kids were still in. His first stop was room XIII, Roxas'. He just slowly peeked into the room and found it empty, save a few Samurais who were slumped around the bed, looking excessively bored. He closed the door before he gained the attention of the Samurais and moved across the hall to Xion's room.

Also empty. The kids had already left. Without even waking him to say goodbye, like they sometimes did. Normally, he hated it when they did this, but when it was to tell him that they were going on an 'uber dangerous mission that we might be late for ice cream for', he did kind of appreciate it.

A little disgruntled, Axel made his way out to the Gray Room and plopped down on an empty couch, putting his feet up on the table (only to piss of Saïx, who was a neatfreak all the way). He crossed an arm over his stomach and let flames dance across his free hand.

"VIII!" snapped said neatfreak from across the room, marching over to him. They were the only two in the Gray Room.

"_What_?"

"Are you prepared for your mission?"

"My _mission_?" Axel whined childishly. He stuck out a hand for the brief, and only because Axel was Axel and Saïx was Saïx did Saïx give Axel the brief with no complaint.

Neverland. He was going to Neverland. With… Roxas…? "I'm going with Roxas?" But hadn't Roxas already left for his mission? Maybe he was just waiting for him in Neverland, whiling the time away by flying all around.

"Yes; I thought it best for today, should he ever wake up."

Axel's eyes flashed up to look at the second-in-command but chose not to mention that Roxas already _was_ up, or at the very least wasn't in his room. "Um… alright. Doing what? Just collecting hearts…?"

"Yes. It would appear that yesterday's heart quota didn't get filled, so I've set an extra high one, and babysitters for the Keybearers to make sure they get their work done this time. You _can_ do so, can't you?" Saïx's face gave way to no fake emotion, daring Axel to disagree.

"Yeah, yeah, we'll blow your quota right out of the water. Whatever. I'm gonna head out then, I guess. Tell Roxas to meet me there?"

"I shall inform him that you are waiting, yes."

Rolling his eyes at his friend's formality, Axel called forth a dark corridor and strode inside.

* * *

Axel waited for an _hour_. An entire hour. He found the sweet little pixie and chatted with her, danced in the air, found every stinking treasure chest in that world, before he flew down near his initial dark corridor and just sat and waited. Gah, he was so _bored_. Where in all creation was Roxas?

It was as he pondered his small friend's whereabouts and sat forlornly beside his corridor that a giant Berserker Nobody appeared out of its own corridor, striding up to him. It looked right at him and said, '_Luna Diviner wishes you return to Castle and to speak with him'_.

At first Axel waved it off, he _had_ to wait for Roxas, but as soon as he brushed it off, the Berserker stooped, grabbed him in one hammy hand, and tossed him right through the portal, following him quietly afterward.

Axel landed in… his room…? He turned to the Berserker, and jerked in surprise when he noticed Saïx sitting on his bed, watching him with little interest.

"Axel," Saïx greeted.

"What's going on? I haven't even _started_ my mission yet," Axel said, climbing to his feet and dusting off his coat. "Couldn't you just wait for me to get back…?"

"Roxas wasn't with you." It wasn't a question.

"..." Axel gazed at his friend cautiously. "...No, he never did show…"

"I didn't think so." Saïx stood and turned to the window, watching Kingdom Hearts. "He never returned to the castle last night."

"Ahh…" Axel was about to jump to Roxas' defense—how, he didn't know, but it was going to happen! But then he fell silent. He hadn't returned at all?

"Nor did Number XIV. They have yet to report from their last mission. No progress was made on that mission. I thought it a failure and gave him an alternative should he so choose, as well as Xion, but they haven't been seen this morning, either. The Dusks report that they haven't seen either of them."

"Since last night…?" Roxas and Xion hadn't returned home from yesterday's mission at all. Which would explain why he'd ate alone last night, and why their rooms had been empty when he'd gone to see them that morning.

"No."

"Why…" Axel felt his hands start shaking -_what happened to them?_- and he hid them behind his back. "Why are you telling me? It doesn't—" Why was he shaking so much? "—matter to me."

Saïx let a bit of fake emotion crack his face—amusement? "Clearly. I thought you might know best where they'd disappeared to. I'm sending you out immediately to locate them."

Axel felt his throat clog up for a moment, so he quickly cleared it. "Where was their mission?"

"Halloween Town. They were to track down a Heartless threat around the Graveyard."

"I should go, then."

"You may want to stock up on items, VIII. If two members couldn't defeat it, it may be detrimental to the one we send after them," Saïx said blankly, tossing a Mega Potion at him. Axel easily caught it and stowed it away in his pocket. "Should anything happen to you, I can't afford to send more members."

"I'll be careful," Axel sighed. He clasped his hands together and wound his fingers, willing the shaking to stop. "I'll be back, kiddies in tow, in a few hours."

* * *

Axel didn't return until well after midnight. He awoke the majority of the castle, storming through to Saïx's room, looking convincingly frightened.

"I couldn't find them _anywhere!_"

Saïx groaned and flopped over—as stoic as he was in the day, he needed his sleep to not be interrupted by frantic redheads. "What?"

"I couldn't find them. _Anywhere_. I looked _all over_ Halloween Town. In the Square, the Graveyard, that stupid twisty hill, Oogie's place, the forest… I can't think of anywhere that I _didn't_ look! Something happened to them, I know it!"

"Axel, do you know what time it is?"

"I don't really care! They could be in _trouble_!" Axel retorted. "We need to send out a search party. Each member to every world. They could be _anywhere_! Something _happened_ to them." He turned around when the door creaked open a little more, revealing a tired-looking and very confused Xigbar. "Xigbar! Perfect timing!" He ignored his friend and turned to II, who watched with curiosity as the fully-grown man scrambled over to him, nearly tripping over himself in his panic. "I need your help with something!"

"With something?" asked Xigbar.

"Yes. I need you to go to Atlantica and look around for Roxas and Xion. They never returned from their mission and something _happened to them I just know it_, so I need you to go and investigate. Or Demyx. You could go elsewhere, Demyx _loves_ the water and he _always_ does recon so I'll make him do it and—" Axel could no longer think straight. His mouth was working faster than his brain, and he was fisting his coat and _damn_ if he wasn't terrified.

"II, ignore him," Saïx ordered, climbing out of his bed and smoothing back his messy blue hair. "I'm sure that XIII and XIV are fine. Go back to bed. I will discuss this with VIII alone."

"Did somethin' happen?" asked Xigbar, looking between Axel and Saïx. "What's up with the kids?"

Axel sighed loudly and looked at him, ignoring Saïx's annoyed grunt. "Two days ago, Roxas and Xion had a mission to go on in Halloween Town where they had to fight this boss Heartless, apparently. They never returned from it, but I didn't know about it until yesterday, since I was supposed to be going on a mission with Roxas but he never showed up. So I went to look for them in Halloween Town, 'cause that's where Saïx said they were, and I was looking _fucking everywhere_, okay? Everywhere. But I couldn't find them, so I _know_ that something happened to them because… well, because they are who they are, they don't just go around ignoring that I'm out looking for them, they don't just skip the clock tower unless it's something important, so I _know_ something happened to them and I need everyone's help to find them."

Xigbar lifted a brow, watching Axel's descent into panic. "Axel, I'm sure they're fi—"

"Don't say that! If they were _fine_, they would be here! Something _happened to them_!" he insisted.

"Axel, you're being irrational. Even if something happened to them, we can't afford to send out anymore members! We're shorthanded enough after Castle Oblivion and with the Keybearers gone, we can't send out any others," Saïx said. Then he sighed. "This will distract you from your missions, won't it."

"Those kids are my _life_, if something happened to them, I don't know _what_ I'd do."

"You were getting on fine before them," Saïx stated.

"That was before I basically _raised them both_."

Saïx sighed again, louder, sounding absolutely exasperated. "If this will distract you, I will allow you to continue your search until you find them. However, I will be speaking with the Superior about the reason that our goals are becoming farther and farther away as we speak, I will expect a full, detailed mission report everyday and if I do not receive one, I will give you real missions and expect them flawless. Do you understand me?"

"Yes! Yes, yes to all of it. _Thank you_."

Saïx could hardly tell if it was sarcastic or genuine. "Whatever. Just find them soon, so I can actually send you on missions. And go to bed. Exhaustion doesn't do well for you."

Axel gave a mock bow and turned away, to march back out to his room and plot his next move.

Sleep certainly wouldn't be happening tonight.

* * *

Axel went back to Halloween Town the next day, double and triple checking everything. He looked beneath stairs, behind doors, snuggled against tombstones... Every nook and cranny there was to be looked in, it was scoured.

As before, he came up empty-handed and just as confused as before.

'_They must have gone to a different world_,' he thought. Why, he didn't know, but it was probably a good guess. The two were curious little buggers, and apt to explore.

He quickly opened a dark corridor and went back to Atlantica (ugh, he _hated_ swimming), and then went to Neverland and Pride Rock. He took a moment's break, just to recollect his bearings, and then went to Olympus Coliseum, where he'd heard Xigbar was going for the day. Maybe he could enlist some help.

"You haven't found them yet?" asked Xigbar when he saw Axel step out of a dark corridor, cocking one brow suspiciously.

"No. I looked everywhere in Halloween Town—_again!_—and in Atlantica and Neverland and Pride Rock, and there's nothing there. Nothing out of the ordinary. I'm thinking that I'll just start sending out Dusks or Assassins, but… they can't tell when something's real or fake…" Axel clenched his hands into fists and felt them start shaking again, watching his fellow Nobody.

Xigbar's brow only rose, noting Axel's shaking hands. "There are like a thousand other worlds out there. Wonderland, Monstro, _here_, Deep Jungle, Agrabah… and I ain't even scraping the surface here, buddy."

"I _know_! But I can't look everywhere by myself, if I try then something worse could happen to them, and I was just hoping if maybe you could poke around…?" Axel flashed a look to Xigbar, hoping that it would work. After all, Axel never asked for help on _anything_. That should explain how desperate he was to find the brats.

Xigbar's brow couldn't go any higher. "Wasn't this supposed to be _your_ mission?"

Axel flashed a little pout that paled in comparison to the puppydog eyes the kids gave, pleading that it would work because if he wanted them home, he needed help.

Xigbar only patiently waited.

"...Er… yes, but…" Axel flushed and gave a kind-of-but-not-really faked pathetic noise. "I-I mean I know that it was supposed to be but _come on_, it's not like I'm asking you to give up your firstborn or kill the Queen of Wonderland or something… but if you wouldn't _mind_ going to Wonderland, that'd be great…"

Xigbar sighed loudly and shook his head. "You're pathetic, you know that?"

Well, Axel couldn't exactly deny that. But he would try. "I am n—"

"These kids have got you wrapped around their little fingers without even trying. They've given you a very _real_ weakness."

"A weakness? I'm not weak!" Axel exclaimed with no hesitation. "How is it weak that I want to protect my friends?"

"For one," said Xigbar fiercely, throwing up one finger. "I never said that you were weak. I said they gave you a weakness, albeit a very _powerful_ weakness. Two different things there, Torch. And for two, yes. They _have _given you a _weakness_. They will tear you down and apart without even lifting a finger." He shrugged heavily. "Their choice or not. Look at what it's doing to you now."

Axel looked down at himself, and slumped a little after a moment. Xigbar was right. He _did_ look absolutely frazzled. And he'd once prided himself on being able to keep his cool after bad happenings like this...

"Yeah, well… it doesn't mean anything," he countered with a little hesitation. "And it doesn't make me _pathetic_. It just makes me… worried."

Xigbar shook his head, a grin splashing across his scarred face. "Interesting choice of words there, Pyro. 'Worried'. You know what it takes for that?"

"_Yes_, I _know_, but I don't know what else to call it!" Axel snarled. He turned on his heel; he wasn't dealing with all this teasing anymore. He had some kids to find. "If you don't want to help, that's fine. All that you had to say was 'no'." He threw up a hand and watched a dark corridor form in front of him.

"Now wait one second, Pyro. No one said anything about not helpin' ya. I ain't making promises, but I miss the little tykes running all over the place, too."

Axel stopped, halfway in the portal already. He stepped out and turned around, the portal zipping shut. "...Really?"

Xigbar shrugged again offhandishly. "Yeah! And I ain't sayin' that I'm gonna take time out of my day like you are. As if. But I'll keep an eye out for 'em. I'll get some of the others, too. Problem taken care of."

* * *

Yeah. Problem _not_ taken care of.

Axel had most of the Organization on board. Xaldin, who did numerous missions in Beast's Castle, claimed to spend half of his mission time searching every nook and cranny for the brats. Which was good, whether he was exaggerating or not, because there were a _lot_ of nooks and crannies in which two little Nobodies could be hidden in Beast's Castle. Demyx went to Atlantica a lot, it being an underwater city and filled with an assortment of musical contests (it was like a Demyx-paradise!) and he looked in every cranny, cavern, and grotto there was to look in. Again, a lot of places to hold two tiny Nobodies, but only if they'd changed them to sea creatures like Demyx was keen to do.

Xigbar poked his nose all around Mount Olympus, including the Underworld, and traveled every so often to Neverland. Luxord dipped in to Wonderland whenever he had the chance.

It was nice, having so many members of the Organization pitching in.

And then… there was Saix and Xemnas.

It was like the two didn't even care if Roxas and Xion were ever found. Never mind that they were the only two Keybearers and thus were desperately needed. The kids got themselves taken, they must have thought, so they'd have to get themselves back.

* * *

Axel finally understood what being a parent felt like. No doubt about it. He'd just suffered through the longest two weeks of his life, and it wasn't quite done dragging out.

"I'm never going to be a parent."

Xigbar looked at him, amusement flashing in his eye. "Oh? Why not?"

"I'm being driven nuts. Off my rocker. Out of my mind. By two little kids!"

Luxord stopped shuffling his deck and offered his coworker a supportive glance. "Well, it's hardly surprising," he said conversationally. He started dealing out the cards, one at a time, to each player.

"He's not wrong."

"You _did_ let yourself get attached."

"I warned you."

"I don't need this from you guys!" Axel spat. He hopped off of the couch, which he and the guys were crowded around, playing poker (or some other ridiculous card game).

Xaldin barked with laughter at the redhead, who was stalking over to the windows and starting to pace, anxiety coursing through every footfall. "Hey, kid, have you seen you? You're overreacting. I'm sure they're fine. They're not _babies_. They _can_ take care of themselves, you know."

Axel turned one eye to look at the dark haired man, the other hidden behind his hand. "Babies…?" He'd never considered the kids as babies. Little kids, yes. But babies…? But… _were they_? He _had_ taught them everything that they knew. No, they weren't babies, not by definition, but… "They were born a _half year ago_. I… I _taught Roxas how to eat_. They…" Man, he was in _deep_ now. And he knew he'd never live this down, but he didn't care a whole lot, anyway. "They _are_ babies! They are _my_ babies! A-and they've been _gone_ for two weeks, and I have no clue where they are and…" Axel bent over where he stood, shooting pain lacing through his stomach. He sat down and buried his face in his hands. "And... _gah_, my stomach _hurts_…"

Four pairs of eyes watched him, brows raised in amusement and surprise. Demyx stood to go over to the ailing redhead, while the other three just watched on.

"You know…" Xigbar commented, scratching his cheek. "I've never even seen a human so well personify that one phrase… whatever it is. What was it?" He looked at Xaldin for help. The larger man shrugged and offered, "worried sick?"

Luxord shrugged. "I didn't think it was an actual thing."

"That's the one! Worried sick. Interesting."

"Yeah?" Axel hissed, shrugging Demyx's hand off of his shoulder. "That's not helping!" He forced his feet under him and formed a dark corridor. "Well, whatever. I'm done playing around. I'm going back out."

"I'd be careful with what you're doing, if I were you," Luxord said evenly. "The bossman ain't too happy that we're down three people instead of just the two. You've been given a bad hand, and that's going to turn around and smack you soon. I get the feeling you'll start being assigned some real missions soon. You'd better find the kids before then."

Axel eyed him cautiously, then turned into the corridor and shook his head. "I'll find them before that becomes a problem." He clenched his fists and walked on, leaving four worried-looking Nobodies behind. "I've _got_ to."

* * *

Okay you guys, so this is a semi-old fic (like, I started writing it almost as soon as I got back into my KH phase, which was around Christmas), so the writing style is a little tiny bit different. Also, if none of you have noticed, I'm awful at writing Luxord. Heh...

Thanks for checking it out, though! It gets kind of dark in chapter 2, but not like so bad, but it's in a different perspective, and now we get to learn what happened to the kids... All of chapter 2 is written, and will probably be posted next week, when I'm bored in between classes. Chapter 3 will probably take a bit longer after that...

Okay, so as per the norm, all reviews will be answered via PM. Please review, and if you're bored (go shameless advertising!), please check out my other story, Burning Out! Alrighty then, well... see you next time!


	2. Chapter 2

Keys to the Heart

A Kingdom Hearts fanfic

**YAJJ**

**Date:** 8/26/2014, 2:45 pm

Note: It gets a little darker (not much, though) in this chapter, in that it's happening to the kids. May make your stomach queasy, but it shouldn't be too bad. Also, I might have made Sally a little OOC. Maybe. I'm not really sure. Just a warning.

**Disclaimer**: No.

* * *

Sally didn't always enjoy working with the doctor.

Sure, he was her _creator_. The reason for her existence. He had given her life, and in return, she gave him service. She cooked for him, cleaned for him, even helped on experiment after stupid, nasty experiment.

That didn't mean that she had to like it.

The thing was, she hadn't really _not_ enjoyed it. She had, because she felt like she was being pushed around, but she could handle it. She was a big girl, and besides, she did have Jack to help her now, when the doctor would let her go out to see him. It wasn't up until one crisp fall day, just a month before Halloween, that she really started to hate her job.

She hadn't known that the doctor could be so… well, immoral.

They were a couple of kids. Sally wasn't even sure how the doctor had grabbed them, let alone dragged them into the lab and gotten them tied up. One blond boy was fidgeting where he sat in a chair. His arms were tied together behind him, his shoulders wrenched back until the blades nearly touched each other. The other, a black-haired girl, was sitting in much the same way, back against the boy's. Their fingers were tied together, stopping them from helping each other. They looked more like POWs than kids.

"Okay, one, two… three! Tug!"

The girl gritted her teeth and wrenched up one shoulder, as the boy did the same with the opposite shoulder. It wasn't until the boy made a noise of pain that they stopped, their escape attempt useless. It didn't look to be the first, and it likely wouldn't be the last.

"Sally!"

Sally flinched in response, noticing the kids jerk a little and look in her direction, not seeing her but looking for the doctor.

Dr. Finkelstein steered his wheelchair toward her, the wheels whirring loudly. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Who are these kids?" asked Sally in response, glancing toward the kids who were back to attempting to escape.

The doctor's eyes flashed excitedly. "They're _Nobodies_, Sally. Nobody children."

"Nobody children?" asked Sally. She'd heard the term used before, but she couldn't exactly recall what it meant… she herself had never met a Nobody.

"Yes. Heartless beings. They truly are fascinating creatures. Act, talk and think just like we do, but they do it without a beating heart. Amazing."

Sally pressed a hand to her chest, feeling her weak heart pulsating in time. She looked to these children. She was a doll, but she had a heart. But these two, who looked and acted so much like real, actual humans, did not? It seemed… preposterous.

Although, that would explain why they were trying so adamantly to get out. They could not feel fear, and would only continue a useless struggle.

"Tug!"

Finkelstein peered into the room and rolled his eyes in exasperation. "They're at it again."

"Well, I don't think that they _want_ to be here," Sally said in reply. She looked in just in time to see the girl give up first, hissing that it wasn't going to work.

The boy slumped a little, watching the ground. "Maybe the corridors…? Maybe if we open one beneath our feet…?"

"Good luck."

The boy concentrated for just a moment, glaring down at his feet, and something dark and ominous-looking started swirling beneath him. Sally was amazed, she'd never seen anything like it! Then it crackled and fizzled out, the boy releasing an exhausted breath with it. "I must be too tired."

"We'll try again in a bit. It was a good try, though."

"Thanks."

Finkelstein looked at Sally again. "If they didn't want to be here, then they shouldn't be waving those keyblades around willy nilly!" He snorted in indignation, as if that was a good reason, and headed into the lab, approaching the children. "Sally, be a dear and get me that broth that you make for all the others."

"All the others…?" Sally wondered. And then it occurred to her. There was a special sort of broth that she was to make whenever Dr. Finkelstein started doing live experiments… it dulled the senses and made the subject more compliant; thus easier to experiment on. It was to be given at least a day prior to the experiment, so that the effects would set in. Meaning that the experiments were likely to start tomorrow.

"Hello, children!"

Sally watched for just a moment as the kids spat at the doctor in anger, demanding to be let go. Then she headed upstairs. It was likely that, with or without the broth, the doctor would start his experiments. Better for her to make it easier on the kids, anyway.

* * *

When she came downstairs less than an hour later, a bowl of broth in hand, the kids were alone. She didn't know what had happened to Dr. Finkelstein, but she wasn't sure how much she cared. At least this way she could confront those kids—those Nobodies—without getting in trouble.

"Hello."

The girl winced fiercely, glancing her way through her short dark hair. The boy turned his head and then looked away. Neither said anything to her. Neither looked excited to be there.

"I, uh, brought you some food," Sally continued, picking up the spoon to lazily stir it around. It would take no more than three spoonfuls for the stuff to give enough of an effect, but she always wanted to be careful…

"Not hungry," the boy spat. He wriggled his arms around a little bit but didn't look at her.

The girl turned her head to look at him and leaned her head back, touching her black hair to his honey hair; some form of comforting gesture that Sally thought impossible for heartless beings.

"It'd… be a good idea for you two to eat this. Or tomorrow will be a pain."

"Tomorrow?" asked the girl warily. "What's tomorrow?"

Sally swallowed a little, dropping the spoon into the bowl again. "The doctor is going to start his tests tomorrow."

Two pairs of identical blue eyes whipped around to face her, wide and actually looking frightened. "Tests?" the boy breathed.

Sally was blown away by the emotion in their eyes, and the sameness of them. Were they _siblings_? "Y...yes. He's rather curious about those keys you two carry." She nodded toward a table, where two identical keys lay crossed over each other.

The boy angled his head down, looking at the ground as if in thought. "Of course it's about the keyblades…"

The girl tried to shift around, grunting in discomfort. "And what… will that broth do?"

"It's a lot like an anaesthetic."

Two blank faces looked at her, not understanding.

"It'll dull your senses and make you relax a little. Otherwise, it could hurt. A lot worse. I-I don't know what he's going to do, or how it will connect to your keys, but he did request that I give this to you, and I don't want to see you two in pain."

"Then get us _out_!" cried the girl frantically. "Then you won't have to see us, and we won't have to be here! Win-win, right? _Please_…"

Sally's heart clenched painfully, her heartstrings pulling tight at the plea. "I'm afraid I can't do that. The doctor wouldn't be pleased with me, and I could get in big trouble. I'm sorry." She shook her head. Should she even be apologizing to a couple of Nobodies? It wasn't as though it would matter anyway. The broth would dull their senses, and the lack of hearts would keep them from being frightened. In a sense, they would cease to feel at all.

The girl bit her lip, looking away from Sally and from the boy. "Not hungry," she agreed with the boy.

Sally sighed. "I'm afraid that if you don't let me give this to you, I'll have to make you take it. I'd rather not have you squirming in pain tomorrow. Just a few spoonfuls and you won't have to take anymore."

The boy looked away from her, looking instead to the girl. "Axel will be here, soon," was all he said to her. Then he looked back up at Sally. "We're not taking it."

"Yes, you are." Sally sighed and rolled her eyes. Why did they have to be so stubborn? "It won't do anything more to you. Either you take it and go through the experiments not feeling what he's doing, or you don't take it but do feel it."

"How about if we don't take it and we don't feel it?" the girl whispered.

"And don't go through it?" the boy continued.

Sally shook her head, going over to the counter to grab the cart beside it. She set the bowl on it and wheeled it over to the boy. "I'm afraid that won't happen either. I'm sorry."

The boy eyed her anxiously, tipping his head back a little. "W-why not?"

"Because if you know anything about scientists like the doctor…" Sally just shook her head again.

The kids shared a look, knowing exactly what Sally meant.

Sally slowly stirred the broth, sucking in its sultry scent anxiously. The broth smelled quite good, but she had to be careful; even the fumes had a similar, though considerably duller, effect. She'd found that out the hard way. "...I really do need you to take this. I don't want to make you."

The boy turned his head away sharply, intent clear. He was _not_ going to sit back and let her feed him.

Sally sighed; she _so_ didn't want to do this.

She took the boy's face in her hand, so suddenly that he jerked backwards. She pinched his nose and forced his chin down, opening his mouth painfully wide. Using her arm to prop his mouth open, as much as he tried fighting it, she took the spoon, dipped it in the soup, and forced it down his throat. When he tried using his tongue to keep the liquid from dripping down his throat, she flicked the spoon around and stroked his throat with her thumb, easing the liquid down. She repeated this three more times, ignoring the girl's yells of protest, accidentally dripping the liquid onto him when he fought.

He spluttered and coughed when she finally let him go, dropping the spoon into the bowl and moving the cart around to the girl.

"Are you okay?" the girl asked her companion, looking back at him.

"'m fine…"

Sally quickly went about force-feeding the girl, picking up the bowl and spoon. "I'm truly sorry."

The boy glared at her, his expressive eyes digging into her heart. "No, you're _not_. If you were, you'd let us go."

Sally sighed but couldn't bring herself to reply, turning away to bring the bowl and spoon over to the sink and wash them.

She returned after a while, her heart aching for the children. The boy looked exhausted, the girl crooning and trying desperately to look at him. "Stop trying, it's okay. They won't work."

"They have… to work… they work everywhere else…"

"They _won't _work. Stop wasting your energy."

Both peeked up at her when she approached them, identical glares gouging her heart right out.

"What on earth are you two doing?" asked Sally, trying to sound smiley and failing miserably.

"None of your business," the boy spat. He ignored her when she pulled up a chair near to them, dropping into it to observe them.

"What are _you _doing?" asked the girl after a moment of observing her in return, biting curiosity too impossible to ignore.

"Gonna feed us some more stuff to make us sit through our own demise?" the boy continued.

"No. I'm just here... keeping you company. It's lonely in this manor otherwise."

"We don't want your company," the boy spat in reply.

"We're fine on our own."

Sally sighed a little, setting her hands on her knees. She ended up playing with her hair after a moment. "...Maybe you should tell me your names. Mine's Sally."

"Didn't care."

"We're not gonna tell _you_!"

"Well, I'm not leaving until we can have a civil conversation, so…" She looked almost desperately between the two, who continued to glare at her.

"_No_," they both spat like venom, sharply turning away from her.

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

By the end of the night, Sally didn't catch their names. They didn't speak with her, only with each other, and so they never said their own names. There was one very minor slip-up that Sally caught onto almost immediately, though, when the girl was speaking. She called the boy "Thirteen". Sally wasn't sure what it was supposed to mean, but she figured it was likely a title of some sort, or perhaps that _was_ the boy's name.

She weaseled out the girl's number as well: Fourteen. So there she sat, in the presence of Thirteen and Fourteen, both glaring between her and Dr. Finkelstein, who looked more than ready to start his experiments.

"It'll be so much easier if you just cooperate," Sally argued to the kids soothingly, trying to ease them into a faux-comfort zone that would get one into the cage and the other onto the table.

"Cooperate? That's like _asking you_ to experiment on us!" the boy snarled fiercely.

"Waving those blades around, you practically were!"

The girl glanced back towards the keys sitting on the counter and then looked to Thirteen. "Well, they're our _weapons_. Of course we'll be waving them around, when we're out fighting Heartless."

"Fourteen—" Thirteen hissed. Both had recognized that Sally heard them call each other by their titles and so freely used them like names.

"Right. Weapons. Well, let me tell you right now, children, that it takes a heart to wield a keyblade. And don't think I don't know your little secret. It's painfully obvious, and not just from those ridiculous outfits. You're a couple of Nobodies! Beings who function as human beings, but without the added advantage of having a _heart_." The doctor's face cracked into a freakish grin that was scaring Sally as well; he'd never seemed so darkly excited. "The question is, how do you do it? It takes a _heart_, and a strong one at that, to wield a keyblade, and here are two little Nobodies, waving them around like they own them. How very… odd."

"Maybe if you answer the question, it'll be even easier," Sally offered quietly, but to her chagrin the kids ignored her.

"That's what I'm here to find out. And the two of you will help me… willingly or not."

"It really will be easier if one of you would just let us get you on the table. We won't have to hurt you," Sally urged.

"_Won't have to hurt us_?!" Fourteen screeched. "You're trying to experiment on me and him and you're saying that you _won't have to hurt us_?! Is that it? That's like… like…" Fourteen put her mind to work, but couldn't think of a comparison bad enough. "That's _wrong_. You're _lying_."

"What on Earth is the problem?" asked Finkelstein. "It doesn't _matter_. You won't feel it. You don't have a heart to feel with."

Thirteen whipped his head around to glare at the doctor. "What, you think it takes a heart to be afraid? To feel fear? Or pain, or suffering? _No_. It doesn't. We're going to _feel_ everything that you're going to do to us… broth or no."

Fourteen turned as far as she could to look at her companion, her eyes soft with affection. "...What will you be doing?" she asked softly.

Finkelstein looked to her. "Well, for now, I need to identify which keyblade belongs to which Nobody, and then I need to find the connection between the keyblades and hearts. There's so much to start with… And I refuse to wait any longer to get started!"

Both kids flinched as his exclamation rose in volume. He'd even surprised Sally, who was watching him now with curiosity and fear.

"Now, decide which of you shall be the subject first! I will not sit idle any longer!"

"I will, then," said Thirteen protectively, lifting his chin and clearly trying to defend his companion.

"Thirt—"

"Stop, Xi. _I'm_ going, if they're going to insist. I'm not going to let you get hurt." Thirteen looked back at Fourteen, so their eyes met. "It's okay."

"You don't have to protect me," the girl sighed.

"Of course I do!" said Thirteen with an air of affection and determination. "You're the _girl_, and I'm older than you. Let me do this."

Fourteen didn't—or perhaps couldn't—reply for a few moments. Finally, she slumped and whispered three words, sounding so, so completely done. "...I hate this."

Thirteen only nodded. Sally strode forward to start the job.

* * *

There was a big bird cage off to the side of the lab. Sally still didn't know why—she'd questioned it before, but had never got an answer. It hung from the high ceiling on a ridiculously long chain that kept it hanging ten feet above the ground. There was a crank off to the side that allowed her to raise and lower it when Finkelstein was finished with one of the kids and maybe wanted to move onto the next one.

He spent most of the day working with the kids. He was really invested in this project. The first thing that he'd done was fiddle with one of the keyblades, discovering whose was whose. He'd taken a knife and scraped it along the Keyblade—initially to do a little research on the composition of the keyblade—and whoever had screamed was the owner.

That had made Sally's cotton curl. She'd never heard anyone scream so loud. And the resulting call from the boy, sounding so frightened and confused, was just as bad.

On the first night, once the doctor was done with his tests and told Sally to toss the subject back into the cage, Sally had just kind of sat there, in the middle of the lab, trying to comprehend everything that had happened. Her blank eyes watched as two Nobodies flung themselves into each other's arms and clutched tight to each other, shaking with fear.

She must have sat there for twenty minutes—she couldn't be sure—before she finally went to crank the cage back up and go to bed, leaving the two Nobodies to their business.

It didn't occur to her until the next morning that in two days, the most food that they'd gotten was a few spoonfuls of anaesthetic broth, and they were probably hungry. So before the doctor awoke, she went to the kitchen and prepared them a little breakfast. She wasn't _cruel_, after all.

She also brought some more of the broth. The effects could last two days or so, so if the doctor still wanted to continue his experiments tomorrow, and the next day, the kids would have to take it.

The kids eyed her cautiously, the girl sitting in the boy's lap and just blinking awake. When she'd lowered the cage enough to set everything inside, they'd stared, like they didn't understand what was going on.

"Eat up," she said, giving a sad smile. "And please, just take the broth."

"It... didn't help yesterday."

"Well, if you'd taken all of it, it might have," Sally countered. "And it can't make it all go away. It's still going to hurt, just less."

Fourteen slowly climbed out of Thirteen's lap, watching Sally as she moved to take the food. She seemed to be expecting her to take it all away.

Kindly, Sally took one big step backwards. The girl gave a little half-smile and passed the plates and cups to Thirteen.

"...Thank you," the kids said.

Sally watched them, swallowing. They shouldn't be _thanking_ her. Not for this. "You're very welcome."

Fourteen settled down beside Thirteen, setting her head in his lap and slowly gnawing on a piece of bacon. Once she'd finished, she rolled over and planted her face in Thirteen's stomach. Thirteen dropped one hand to rest on her hair, not saying anything. He just slowly ate, tapping her shoulder to give her some food every once in a while.

After a silent debate with the bowl, the kids must have deemed it a good idea to do as she'd asked and take the broth. Then they eased the empty dishes to the edge, and Thirteen settled beside Fourteen, looking fully prepared to fall asleep right there.

"...What's he going to do today?" asked Fourteen cautiously, looking backwards at Sally.

"I... don't know. He wasn't awake when I came to check on you, and I didn't discuss it with him last night. I'm sorry."

"'S okay..." Thirteen mumbled. Fourteen shrugged and wrapped him up in her arms.

Sally smiled a little bit—funny, how two Nobodies could show more affection for each other than some humans could—and went to take the dishes. She brought them to the kitchen and then decided to wake the doctor. He _hated_ waking up late.

* * *

Actually, the first week wasn't so bad, as far as experiments went. Most of Finkelstein's experiments were on the keyblade itself, so the kids were left up in their cage, flinching every once in a while but otherwise okay.

The second week was when it got worse.

The doctor started out earlier, stayed with them longer, and the experiments were far worse. There was less flinching from the kids, and more crying out, more… screaming.

And he would test anything and everything. It seemed like he was trying to torture them, not study them. At any given point, one was always on the table and the other was always up in the cage. Primitive ropes around the wrists and ankles and waist to keep them still were quickly replaced with steel manacles, trapping them and tearing their skin apart when they writhed or fought. The doctor had seemed absolutely fascinated to discover, when Thirteen did start crying out and writhing with pain after one particularly nasty experiment on the keyblade, that Nobodies did indeed have blood.

After a few days of this, Thirteen and Fourteen started yelling stuff at whomever was being experimented on at the time. Simple stuff at first. "It'll be okay" "It'll stop later". Anything you might expect to hear out of a couple of teenaged Nobodies.

And then Fourteen yelled down, "Axel will be here soon!"

Sally had no clue what on Earth that might mean. 'Axel will be here soon'. Thirteen had said that before. What—or who—was this Axel? And how would he have any clue where they were?

It took about twenty seconds for her to realize that—whoever the heck this Axel was—Fourteen was only saying it to comfort Thirteen, who was writhing fiercely with pain. Sally had no clue what the doctor was doing; none of this science stuff made any sense to her. But whatever it was he was doing, it was causing Thirteen great distress. So much so that wet tears dribbled out of his eyes as he continued fighting.

"Axel will be here soon… he'll _be here_…" Fourteen continued muttering. "_He'll be here_…"

* * *

It became clear to Sally that this Axel person, whomever he was, was very important to Thirteen and Fourteen. They spoke very highly of him, though never to Sally or Finkelstein. They only spoke when they thought they were alone… though often times, Sally was outside of the lab, listening in because she was too curious about the odd Nobodies.

That was all they told each other, and it actually seemed to work. It comforted them like nothing else had. "Axel will be here soon." "Axel will get us outta here." "Axel's looking for us." Axel, Axel, Axel.

The more that Sally was around the Nobodies, the more she believed that maybe they _weren't_ Nobodies. Or if they were, there was something about Nobodies that no one knew. Finkelstein always said that the only real difference between a human and a Nobody is whether or not they have hearts, and thus whether or not they feel.

Nobodies, heartless beings, couldn't feel. They were less than human. And yet, here were two Nobodies, feeling like no one that she'd ever seen had felt.

Sally prayed, for the sake of the two Nobody kids, that this Axel person would come soon. Anyone who could ignore the pleas and cries that the kids made would have to be heartless.

* * *

Finkelstein waved off the kids' tears like they were nothing. He called them crocodile tears all the time. Created to invoke sympathy. Because they were Nobodies, they couldn't feel and they couldn't cry. It was simple as that. Except that… it _wasn't_. It wasn't as simple as that, because there was no way that the kids were faking those tears. They hurt her heart too much.

Thirteen was the one down on the table a lot more than Fourteen was. He tried desperately to protect her. He made less noise and cried less than Fourteen did, but Sally was tempted to believe that he was forcing himself to stay quiet, for her sake.

Fourteen spoke much more than Thirteen did. She demanded that the doctor stop whatever he was doing at the time because it was hurting Thirteen, and she said those comforting things more often than Thirteen ever did. It wasn't that he didn't say them, he just didn't often have a reason to, since he was normally the one being experimented on.

Sally found herself reaching out more and more to the children, begging for the doctor to stop more and more because those _screams_, they were absolutely tearing her heart apart.

And every time that she did, whether the doctor stopped or not, something flashed in those kids' eyes at her, something like trust or, worse yet, admiration. Those kids couldn't trust her; they couldn't _admire _her. Look at where she got them in the first place.

She fed them more often, at least. Twice a day; once before Finkelstein came down to start the day, and once when he left. They thanked her every time, nothing more than the two words or even, on days when the experiments were too much, just the one word. She would brush off their thanks with a wave of her hand and smile at them (which made them smile, and really they were looking up to her _way_ more than they should, she never did anything but put them in harm's way).

Thirteen was getting wary of the experiments. Protective though he was, he was always looking so tired, and though he let Sally pull him out of the cage and chain him up on the table, he did it with much less of a fight. That scared her. He used to fight so much. She hoped Axel would come soon, if only for their sakes.

She would get them out herself, but she was nothing more than a coward. A great big coward. Finkelstein would be cross with her, and if he was cross, he'd lock her door and window and she'd never get away to see Jack, and if that happened then surely she'd _die_. And the kids were just a couple of Nobodies anyway, right...?

But why didn't it ever _work_ when she told herself that? Why couldn't it work just once?

Speaking of Jack; the pumpkin king, of course, knew of the experiments. Finkelstein had told him all about them the first _day_. He spoke with Sally rather actively about them, and he explained how it didn't matter because the kids couldn't feel anyway, they weren't true, actual beings without hearts anyway, so why let them hurt her? Sometimes, Sally believed him when she was out with him, until she got home and there was Thirteen, on the table writhing with pain and begging for it to stop and for Fourteen to not watch. And then there was Fourteen, up in the cage, clutching the bars and yelling at Finkelstein to "stop it please you're _hurting him_". Tears would be dribbling down her face, ('_crocodile tears, they're crocodile tears_,' Sally thought, if only to stop her heart from breaking) and she would often be hiccuping.

Somehow, Finkelstein always ignored her and continued his work.

One night, Fourteen gave up with the pleading early and instead turned to watch her companion, her eyes swimming and her nose running. She quietly watched Thirteen squirm, her shoulders shaking a little but no sound bubbling from her throat.

Then, Thirteen made a noise similar to a strangled scream as the doctor did something new, and Fourteen screamed in response. She started speaking with her companion, loud and forced and frightened and desperate and after hearing a scream like that, Sally wasn't sure how the doctor could keep working; clearly there was something wrong with him. "Thirteen… Thirteen… oh, Rox, Axel will be here soon, I swear it!" Fourteen wailed. The words were no different than the normal cries, but real fright, real _pain_ was reflected in them, bouncing around the room and finally, finally, she broke into tears. "H-he'll _be here_, Axel will be here soon…. please, Axel… come soon…"

The girl burst apart. She couldn't contain her sobs anymore, could only lean forward and bury her nose in her hand, which clutched tight to the steel bar of the cage. Her shoulders shook with unmatched ferocity, her wails loud and unbearable.

Sally had to leave at that point. She didn't care what happened, she just had to leave that room and go upstairs, up to her room where she would lock herself away and ignore that anything bad was happening downstairs.

She could still hear the girl's wailing, even beneath her pillow.

She didn't end up falling asleep that night.

* * *

A few days later, Sally had to go out for a breath of fresh air, after sitting and listening to the worsening wails of Fourteen and, occasionally, Thirteen. She couldn't take hearing those screams. Yes, she was from Halloween Town, but screams of good-natured fright from well-meaning citizens were entirely different from the pained screams coming from that manor. She could handle it for a time, but after a while it became too much and… she just needed a breather.

She walked around town and said hello to whomever she saw. She was out for a bit of time before she heard the telltale signs of panic from one stressed individual.

"_Roxas?! Xion_! Come on, kids!"

Sally turned to face the voice and spotted a man with bright red hair looking around frantically. He was dressed in a long black coat. He dressed exactly as Thirteen and Fourteen did, now that she thought about it.

"Today's the last day I can look for you, you _have_ to come out! Or… I-I'll _hunt_ you down, and I'll make sure you know never to leave again _please come out_…"

Sally blinked, and it suddenly occurred to her that maybe, just maybe, this was one of the other Nobodies, a friend of Thirteen and Fourteen. Come to find them, perhaps? And what did he mean, 'the last day'? How long had he been searching?

"_Goddammit Rox! Xi! ANSWER ME!_"

"You dress… exactly like those kids."

* * *

Ta dah! Told you it would come soon.

Well, school has officially started, and I'm _not_ going to fall behind this year, or not that far behind at least, so I probably maybe won't be updating/writing a lot. It'll be easier now, though, since I'll be working less hours (w00t!).

I dunno when chapter 3 will come out, but I'm considering adding a fourth chapter, which will be a mini-epilogue, consisting of fluff between the sea salt trio, and then one scene of Sora, Sally and Lea. Thoughts?

Thanks for reading! Please review, so I knew if I'm getting better or worse! As always, all reviews will be answered via pm.


	3. Chapter 3

Keys to the Heart

A Kingdom Hearts fanfic

**YAJJ**

Date: Halloween 2014, 9:30 pm

A/N: I JUST NEED TO POST SOMETHING IN OCTOBER SO I'M JUST GONNA THROW THIS UP AND WHEN I GET BACK FROM MY SHIFT AT 6 TOMORROW THEN I'LL FIX EVERYTHING I JUST NEED TO SAY I UPDATED SOOOOOMETHIIIIIING IN OCTOBER GOOD NIGHT CHILDREN.

Disclaimer: Don't even bother.

* * *

After two weeks, Xemnas appeared to be getting quite sick of being short three people on missions. He commanded more and more from the other members on actual missions; they were doing two missions a day, now, on top of looking for the kids and it was clear that they were all running themselves ragged.

Despite doing no missions, Axel was being run ragged the most of them all. He never slept, rarely ate, never took a break. The kids' lives were on the line, he had no time to stop for a little thing like sleep or food, not unless his body demanded it. And _that_ normally turned out pretty bad, for _all_ involved.

After three weeks, however, Xemnas had had enough. Saïx wouldn't be enough to get the job done anymore. So he caught Axel on one of his rare moments at the castle and forced him still. "Now listen here, VIII."

Axel tugged on his arm. "I have to _go_. There's this place in Agrabah, the Cave of Wonders, they could _be there_. It's a _perfect place_ to hide kids their size…"

"Listen to me," Xemnas snarled fiercely. "I have had it up to _here_ with your ridiculous searching. It's getting you nowhere. Those two Keybearers, as unfortunate as it is, are _lost_. Our plan will continue as is until we can find another Keybearer. You have _missions_ to go on, we need to get on with our plan, and your pointless searching is only delaying us further!"

"_Pointless_—?!"

"You have _two days_!" Xemnas continued over Axel's rant. "If you don't find them by tomorrow, you will be given two actual missions, just like everyone else, and be expected to do them. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. You've had three weeks, Axel. I had expected better."

"Two days? I—" Axel bit his tongue to stop his protest; Xemnas could just as easily say that he'd get actual missions tomorrow. "...Yes sir."

Xemnas nodded firmly and created a dark portal. "Good. I'm glad we understand each other." He entered the dark corridor and it closed around him, leaving Axel all alone.

* * *

Axel found himself unsurprised that he didn't find the kids in the Cave of Wonders. It had been his last hope, his last chance, the last place that he could think of, but it didn't surprise him that he didn't find them.

He wasn't Luxord. He didn't have the luck.

No, all that he'd found in the Cave of Wonders was a bunch of munny, which held so little value to him that he barely even saw it, besides being something that the kids could be hiding behind, or (Kingdom Hearts _no_) buried under. With nothing but that, some useless items, and a few weak Heartless, Axel soon gave up on the Cave and headed toward Agrabah.

Again, nothing came up but a bunch of Fat Bandits, so Axel left Agrabah (he would later proudly inform the kids of the fact that he had, indeed, broken into the palace), opening a portal to the Deep Jungle.

By the end of the night—and _no_, he did not sleep, thank you very much—he'd found his way to Traverse Town and Hollow Bastion, as well. Naturally, he found nothing, and by the time he figured that he'd searched every place that he could, it was tomorrow.

The last day.

Desperation, and along with it an overpowering mixture of fright and common sense, led Axel back to Halloween Town, three weeks after his initial search of the spooky town. He arrived in the town entrance and didn't dare spare a glance at it and its inability to hide Roxas-or-Xion-sized things. Instead, he stormed past the front gate and out into Guillotine Square, dully lit by the jack-o'-lantern streetlights.

Any other day, on any other mission, Axel would be slinking along the edges of town, sticking to the shadows and darkness from which he was born. He would go by without a noise, without an inkling of sound, silent as the shadows. The slinking and the quiet were basically protocol.

Well, Axel wasn't one to obey the rules, especially not today, so protocol could go screw itself.

"ROXAS!"

No answer. Not that Axel was surprised or anything. He was almost just trying to get the townsfolk on the lookout for his kids. The more the merrier, after all.

"XION!"

Although, he did wish that _someone_ would answer, so he wasn't just yelling into dead space. It didn't even have to be one of his kids—although that would be preferred. It could have just been a citizen saying, "hey, isn't that the name of that kid we found by the lake?", or even "Aren't those the names of those _bodies we found_…"

Although the kids didn't have any ID on them, so there was no way they would know the names of their bodies, it would still be comforting to know whether or not his search was fruitless; whether they were dead or alive.

"HEY!"

He continued his pointless wailing, stomping around the town and drawing stares from the townspeople (but really, didn't any of them own a mirror? Honestly), causing anxious mother vampires to bundle their children away from Axel as if he had eyes for any kids but the ones that he'd painstakingly worked his butt off to find for the last three weeks.

Desperation settled into the pit of his stomach as his yells increased in frequency and volume. More than one townsperson peeked out from behind their curtains or doors. Whatever; let them stare. Why should he care? He had far more important things to worry about.

"Roxas! Xion! Come on, kids!"

Maybe he should try elsewhere. Quickly scour all of the worlds that he could reach? But he couldn't just _scour_, these worlds needed to be _combed_. All of the worlds had already been scoured, by nearly every other member of the Organization, going through them on his own would only hurt his chances of finding them.

"Today's the last day that I can look for you, you _have_ to come out!" He prayed that it would work, that if they knew he could no longer look for them, maybe they or their kidnapper would come out. No? Maybe a threat—again, to they or the kidnapper—would work better. "I-I'll _hunt_ you down, and I'll make sure you know never to leave again—" His threat caught in his throat, maybe at the imagining that he may never be able to make them know, maybe at something else, and it was smothered by the rising plea. "_—please come out…_"

Still no answer, not a sound, and now Axel's chest was aching with want. He wanted his kids back. He wanted them back by his side, blabbering on and on about some such nonsense and asking those stupid questions that he pretended to hate even though he _loved_ that they would always come to him with them.

The want and the ache and the pain turned into anger turned into fury, and because he didn't know what else to do with it or who else to aim it at, he aimed it at his kids, his babies his _angels_ wherever the hell they were. "_Goddammit Rox! Xi! ANSWER ME_!"

"You dress… exactly like those kids."

Because no one had yet said a word to him, Axel really hadn't been expecting the reply. He whirled around on his toes, calling his chakrams to him instantly.

Behind him stood a woman, eyeing him curiously. In fact, Axel wasn't even sure to call her a woman; she looked like Frankenstein's daughter's doll, life-sized. In fact, that appeared to be all that she was. A rag doll. A big rag doll, sewn together with stitches and stuffed with cotton and leaves. She was watching him, and from the curiosity in her eyes, hope was born, and suddenly she was giving him a very small smile, and it looked like she was shaking and who in the worlds was this odd woman?

"…Erm… what?" Had she mentioned kids? Who dressed _exactly_ like him? She had, hadn't she? _Did she know where Roxas and Xion were_?

Instantly, the woman deflated. "…Oh. I see. Nevermind. It must not mean anything," she said solemnly, the hope diminishing into emptiness. She turned away.

"No… wait!" _She had mentioned kids_! She was the first clue that he'd had in three weeks, there was no way that he was letting it slip through his fingers, not today!

Quickly, Axel corridored in front of her, catching her completely by surprise. She stared at him, her eyes wide at his trick.

"Wait… _please_. You… you mentioned kids. Who dressed like me. Do you know where they are?"

The woman furrowed her brows, frowned, and sighed. "You must be Axel, then."

Something burned in his chest, but it wasn't like his fire, and it didn't hurt exactly, in fact it didn't hurt at all. In fact, this burning thing sprung to life a dormant thing so quickly and suddenly that Axel found himself clutching his chest and gasping in surprise.

Hope. That was the only explanation. It was hope, like what had been in this woman's eyes. Screw everything that he'd been taught, that he'd known to be true, since he first found his way to the Organization, he was _feeling_.

"Yes!"

The girl gave a sad smile, and something about it told Axel something that he didn't want to hear. "Oh."

He waited. For five seconds, ten seconds, fifteen, twenty, thirty seconds, waiting for her to continue because _she had to know where they were or she wouldn't hurt him like this so where are they?_, but she didn't say anything, didn't even dare to open her mouth. He scowled fiercely, when nothing came from her. "Please! You know where they are!"

"…Yes," she agreed, and then the hope was back, it was multiplying, duplicating, intensifying so much that now it was starting to hurt and he watched her with eager eyes. He was only two sentences away from the end of weeks of terror, of knowing something bad had happened to his kids. Soon, he'd have them again, he'd be able to hold them and protect them and he swore to Kingdom Hearts itself that he would never let them leave his sight ever again.

"…So where are they?"

"…"

"…Where _are_ they?" Axel asked again, narrowing his eyes in confusion and loss and disbelief. She wouldn't… _hide_ them, would she?

But then, why did she look so guilty?

"I… can't… tell you."

All of that spiraling hope instantly changed to unmatched, unbridled _fury_. "You _what_?" he hissed, which he knew was so much scarier than his yelling, he _knew that_, because when he was hissing like this it meant that raising his voice would likely cause some sort of explosion or natural disaster.

"I'm sorry," the woman whispered, lowering her head. Her hands were wringing between each other. She certainly looked the part.

But she wasn't _truly_ sorry. Not yet.

"You _WHAT?_!"

"I'm sorry," she repeated. She looked up at him, her eyes wet and wide with fright, and if Axel wasn't mistaken, she was shaking like crazy (although that could have been him), but if this was her being afraid, Axel would soon have to show her what real fear felt like.

"Why _not_?!" Axel demanded. There was heat, intense heat, pooling everywhere, and he knew that if he didn't get a good, proper answer to _all_ of his questions, then his element would explode all over the town and there would be one less world to have missions at.

"I just can't." The woman turned around and lifted her chin, walking away without another word.

The fire was nearing his skin, and it was going to come out, it was _going to_ this town was going to _suffer_… and then it stopped, it extinguished, until only a tiny ember burned in his core, and in the place of the fire there was intense grief, intense pain, and he couldn't take it. "_Please_."

The woman paused, but she didn't look back. In the brief span of time that he had, Axel approached her and grabbed her arm, stumbling a little, but desperate to make her understand.

"Please," he continued. "I've been looking for them for three weeks straight. I've looked _everywhere_, I've been here at least three times… and, and this is the very first clue that I've had to them, and if I don't find them…" The pain was back, except it was worse, so much _worse_. He squeezed his eyes shut, feeling moisture, but he fought that back. He wouldn't allow _that_. He could feel, but he would _not_ cry. "I… I raised one of them. I've been looking out for him since he was born, I took him on his first mission, showed him the ropes, I'm the one that he comes to when he needs someone, me or Xion, and… and they mean the _worlds_ to me, they're my best friends and I don't know what I'll do without them."

The woman finally looked back at him, grief shining in her eyes, but she shook her head. "Nobodies can't _have_ friends," she weakly muttered. "I'm sorry. I can't tell you. I'll get in so much trouble, the doctor will be so _cross_ with me…"

"_Cross with you_?!" _That_ was what she was worried about? This doctor being cross with her? When there were two little kids missing, maybe being hurt…

The best explanation was that he had the kids. Why else would he be cross? He had the kids, he was hurting them. Maybe he'd terminated them. But no, of course not _of course not_, who could want to hurt his Roxas and Xion?

"I'm sorry," the woman sighed.

"Look, you don't even have tell me _exactly _where they are, just point me in a general direction, he won't know it was you!"

"I told you, I—"

"What's going on here?" a dark voice being Axel interrupted the woman, reminding Axel of how much he hated Halloween Town. These people were far too sneaky.

Axel spun around, coming face to skull with a skeleton man even taller than he. The man wore a pinstripe suit, with a bat across his neck. Axel recognized the look across his face, that "if you're doing something to her, I'll destroy you" look that he often gave non-Organization allies who were chatting up the Keybearers.

"Nothing," said the woman, averting her eyes. "We were just having a very nice conversation, Jack."

"Uh huh…" The man called Jack looked Axel up and down, as if to see if he knew him from somewhere. "I've never seen you around here before. Did you move here?"

"No," Axel spat without a hint of hesitation. He sized the man up, eyes wavering over his shoulder spikes that looked like they could kill a man. This man—whomever he was—was intimidating. "I'm just here looking for my kids. _She _knows where they are," Axel eyed the girl spitefully, "but she won't tell me."

"Sally," scolded Jack, cocking a bony brow. "What is he saying? You won't help him? And you have a better moral standing than I."

"You don't understand, Jack," Sally said. "They're _those_ kids." She put extra special emphasis on 'those', and did a thing with her brows which Jack must have interpreted, because his eyes widened, and apparently whatever she meant made sense.

"Oh. The doctor's kids."

"Yes."

"_No_!" Axel snapped. "They're _my_ goddamn kids, they're _my_ goddamn baby brother and baby sister and I'm gonna _fuck you all up_ what doctor are we even talking about?" Wait what did he just say? And more importantly, why was he wondering?

Sally and Jack turned on him, surprise filling them. Something was pounding, beating, fuckit something in him was _awake_ he could _feel it_.

"_Tell me_."

Jack cleared his throat, eyes wide. "Dr. Finkelstein. He's the town scientist. He's really brilliant at what he does, and recently he's stumbled upon a pair of Nobodies… he's found some amazing things with them."

"A pair of Nobodies…?" Of course, it could only be his Nobodies, his kids, his Roxas and Xion. There was no one else it could be. It would have to be one painful coincidence otherwise.

Sally nodded solemnly, and then Axel knew.

"_Take me to them_."

"We can—" Sally said, but Jack interrupted her, saying, "his lab is right over there." He pointed to a tall, cone-shaped building with a giant sphere on top. It was on a hill, just on the edge of town.

_There. They were there_.

Without a single reply, not a thank you or anything, Axel opened up a dark corridor, heading toward it.

"Wai—" Sally lunged forward and grabbed his arm, and Axel almost turned around and slit her arm right off with a chakram. Sally pulled her arm away quickly, but she heaved a sigh, and said, "fine. Is that one of those… portals?"

Axel furrowed his brows, clenching a fist. "Yes."

Sally nodded. "I think the children were trying to… trying to open one. When they first got here. It wouldn't open. The little boy… XIII… he exhausted himself trying to open one. I think the doctor has… has some kind of weird set up, so they can't open it. I don't know. I don't understand it. But I don't think you'll be able to get in. Not with those at least."

Axel blinked at her, his fist clenching again and then relaxing. This woman acted as if she'd been around the kids the entire time, and maybe she had. Unfortunately, that meant that she would know best what to do, at least for now. If she said that he wouldn't be able to use the portals to get in… she was probably right.

"…Okay. So what's the best way in?"

* * *

Through the window. Through the highest goddamn window in the highest (only) goddamn tower. This was starting to feel a little too cliché and princessy for Axel's tastes. If he had the choice, he would rather be burning right through the wall.

But he didn't _have_ a choice; that was the problem. It was his last day. If he didn't get them found and back to the castle today, he would lose his chance. That was it. He would be thrown on the toughest, most impossible missions of his life and he'd never get the chance to try to break them out again. Unless he ran away… but that was a ponder for a different day.

According to Sally, the best way to get the kids back was by going through the window in her room, out of her door, and down the staircase into the front area. When asked why he couldn't just use the front door like a proper person, Jack had answered him: The doctor had installed an alarm on the door that would scream at the top of its voicebox whenever the door was opened from the outside without a key.

From the front area, he would head down the ramp, which was hidden for cases such as these. It was, Sally said, behind the cupboard. There was a handle on the side that attached to another shelving unit, but if you squeezed the trigger on the inside, it would lock that little shelf and pull open to reveal the ramp instead.

Sally herself would go in the front way; she had a key. If Igor caught her leading in a strange young man, he would call for the doctor at once, and then the kids would be stuck there forever. She would be heading down to the doctor to make sure the kids were healthy, and hopefully to distract him enough that Axel could free them.

Jack would even be in on this little plan. He, too, had a key, but he would be heading in from the lab door, at the foot of the hill. He would be the primary distraction as Axel worked to free the kids.

And if everything worked according to plan, Axel would have the kids well on their way home within twenty-five minutes.

Problem number one: The height of the tower. See, Axel wasn't one for heights. He had a lower room in the Castle That Never Was, and he wasn't particular fond of the nights when Xemnas would bring them all up to the highest tower to make his speeches about Kingdom Hearts, for more than one reason. And this was a tall tower; with only a rope that was looped vaguely and awkwardly around a hook just above the window, Axel felt more than slightly insecure.

It took longer than he thought it should have, but he eventually managed to swing his way into Sally's room. He landed on nimble toes, and immediately put out a hand, willing a dark corridor into the air. A tall portal appeared before him, flickering, and for a moment Axel wondered if he ever should have trusted her. Why _else_ would she have chosen such a roundabout way to get him inside?

Then, as soon as he stopped concentrating, the corridor fizzled out, leaving behind a few twinkles of darkness. That had never happened before. There really was something screwy going on in this place. The only thing that Axel had ever seen that could interrupt a corridor was an extremely powerful Heartless.

But he couldn't worry about that now. He had two other things to worry about, and frankly, they were much more important.

Sally had mentioned before something called an 'Igor' that he should avoid. This Igor was supposedly rather observant, especially considering how dumb he looked. A lot, Sally had said, like a guard dog. Which meant that, until Axel could get down the ramp, he would have to stick to protocol again: with the slinking and the quiet.

He slunk down this first ramp, pressing to the barrier to keep out of eyesight for as long as he could. He had to crouch, and he kept his hood up to hide his ridiculously bright hair.

He made it down the ramp without a fuss, _thank Kingdom Hearts_. He peeked around the bannister, found no one, and so swung around to cling to the wall, eyes observant, searching for the cabinetry.

Ahh, yes. _There it was_. He was only twenty feet away from having the Keybearers back.

The cabinet was light gray, with bright gold handles shaped like human bones, if Axel wasn't mistaken. It had two larger doors, glowing with whatever was in them, and indeed, on the side of the cabinet, there was an extra, femur-shaped handle.

He slunk along the wall, faster than before, but still watching for this Igor, whomever that was. He had to wiggle around more than a few pieces of furniture and innocent scientific equipment to reach it, which left him feeling anxious and uncomfortable, but before too long, he was standing before that cabinet, grasping at the handle on the side.

Axel's fingers felt up the bone until he located the trigger that Sally had mentioned. He grasped it and tugged on the handle, and with a great groan, the entire cabinet moved, revealing a spiral ramp only a little bit shorter than the one that led to the tower. The ramp was lit by a few torches and nothing more. Otherwise, it was complete and utter darkness.

From below, Axel could hear Sally talking with someone who sounded crickety and old. Doctor Finkelstein, if Axel could hazard a guess. Unless there was someone else down there.

Axel stepped onto the ramp, and behind him, the cabinet heaved shut, closing with a screeching groan that made Axel wince. He paused to hear if anyone else had heard that, but no one appeared to have. At least, there were no startled exclamations from below.

Quicker yet, Axel made his way down the ramp, still quiet but hasty. At the bottom of the ramp, there was one door, lit bright by whatever was inside. He could hear the groan of a boy—_Roxas_, no doubt—and the clinking of tools on metal. Axel came to a quick stop beside the doorway, peering into the room for only a second to see if anyone was watching him. He could see… the doctor, who was looking down at his notes and so wasn't paying any attention to him, and Sally was beside him, talking with him quietly. Her eyes flashed up to meet his, and then she glanced to the right for only a second, and then they did it for a second and a third time.

Axel pressed back against the wall, mentally preparing himself for he-didn't-even-know-what, and then he looked in, further this time, braver now that he knew the doctor was distracted.

His knees went weak. How he stayed on his feet was beyond him. Because there, one chained to a table and one swinging in a large metal birdcage, were Roxas and Xion. Roxas was the one on the table. He looked absolutely exhausted, like he had been fighting for a long time and just couldn't do it anymore. Xion, up in the cage, was leaning forward on a bar, watching her companion. Neither of them had noticed that he was there.

Both of the kids winced when a door to the far right of the room opened, and in walked Jack, greeting the doctor brightly. The doctor quickly ushered Jack over, saying "come Jack, come, look at what I've discovered! Either these children are the oddest Nobodies ever to walk the Earth, or I've discovered a new sequence in their life cycle!"

'_A new sequence?'_ Axel wondered, but he didn't bother to pay attention. Jack caught his eye for a moment, and Axel ushered him over to the doctor as well, hoping to distract him further.

Jack nodded and approached Finkelstein, exclaiming loudly, "whatever do you mean, doctor?"

"Look at this, look! I was right, the keyblade—"

Axel shut him out entirely, slinking into the room to near the children. Xion's eyes had slid shut, and Roxas' had yet to open. He considered calling out to them, but if they saw him, they were likely to cry out and grab the attention of the doctor, and that wasn't what he wanted. For now, as he determined the best way to get them out, he would just get an eyeful on the kids he'd thought he'd never see again.

"It's some kind of… some kind of _primitive heart_," the doctor said excitedly, drawing Axel's attention yet again. It gained the attention of the kids as well, Xion opening her eyes and looking toward him, Roxas just turning his head in his direction. "Like they grew one all on their own. I don't understand how it's possible, Jack, but they have grown their own hearts. I wish to start some experiments on the girl as well, but even before that I want to do a full biopsy on the boy, see what he's got inside…"

_That_ woke Roxas up. "_What_?!" he asked, looking frantically between the doctor and Sally.

"Of course," said Sally, flinching when she no doubt felt Axel's murderous glare on the back of her head. "I'll go fetch some broth, and you can start tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" the doctor asked, turning on Sally with wide eyes. "Nonono, of course not! There isn't time! There are _discoveries_ to be had! A little _broth_ needn't be wasted on a thing that can't feel anyway!"

"But you just said—"

"Prepare him!" The doctor declared.

Axel clenched his fists, watching Roxas start to panic. Up in the cage, Xion yelled, "no! The broth, the broth! _Please_, the broth!" Axel glanced side to side, desperate, and pulled his element back to him when he realized that he'd set a lonely desk on fire.

"Doctor, you're being ridiculous," Jack argued. "You don't know what you're looking for."

"I'll know when I see it! Jack, do not stop me. This is important!" The doctor wheeled his chair over to Roxas, and when he approached, Roxas' eyes stretched wide and he said at the top of his lungs, "NO! STAY BACK! _AXEL_!"

"Doctor Finkelstein, you need to stop this!" Jack said, glancing Axel's way. Axel knew that it was time, but he was still trying to recover from Roxas calling so desperately for _him_. "NOW!"

Immediately, Axel's pent up element exploded. He set on fire first things that would be the most improbable to be set aflame, so that the doctor knew this was no accident. Soon, everything was aflame, everything but the table, the cage, and the two keyblades that Axel finally spotted being held up on stands.

In moments, the room was up in smoke, and Jack was ushering flammable Sally out of the room. The doctor, however, didn't move, whipping his head around wildly. That's when Axel finally made himself heard, stepping out of the flame until he stood before the doctor.

"Axel!" said two young voices, this time sounding relieved. Axel didn't yet spare them a glance; he had some other _fucker_ to deal with. For now, at least, his kids were safe.

The doctor glared up at him. "Who are you, what are you doing here?" he demanded, backing away.

"The name," Axel snarled, fire appearing in his hand and then stretching out to loop around the doctor, "is Axel; Flurry of Dancing Flames; Number VIII of Organization XIII. And I'm here for these guys. Release them, _this instant_, or you'll _suffer_."

"Axel…" said Xion, suddenly exasperated. Axel didn't care if she thought his actions were crass. This doctor had hurt _his_ best friends, _his _(fuck it) baby brother and sister, and he would have to pay.

"I will do no such thing," the doctor said. Darkness started broiling around him, first twinkles and flickers of it, and then large masses, behind him and in front of him and all around him, and suddenly Axel understood why the corridors weren't working. "I'm about to unlock the secrets of the heartless!"

A cold wind blew through the lab, though its source was unknown. It snuffed all of the fire out and chilled Axel to the bone. He shivered and backed toward Roxas, calling a chakram to him. If this would do any good, it should make it easier to release the children.

"…Axel…?" asked Roxas weakly. When Axel brought up his weapon, he screeched, "AXEL?!"

Axel jammed a spike into the manacle trapping him. From the swap from extreme heat to extreme cold, the shackle was weak, and it shattered on impact. The one around his other wrist met the same fate as its friend, as did the ones around his ankles. The only one left was the large bar across Roxas' waist.

"One more," Axel hissed, lifting his weapon for another strike. Before he could attack it, however, something struck his back and sent him flying across the room, nearly smacking into the wall behind him.

"Oh, no you don't."

"Axel!"

Axel lifted his head, eyeing the children. Roxas was wiggling mightily, the bar now around his thighs instead of his waist, and soon he flopped out of the bar's grip and onto the floor. Xion was watching them both from above, clinging to the bars surrounding her.

Behind them, there stood a mighty Heartless. It was mostly black, but with bits of ice protruding from its chest, shoulders, arms, and legs. At its head, there was the doctor, his wheelchair abandoned at the foot of this giant monster.

_This_ was the freak that Saïx had sent the kids after? The thing that had probably taken them, as well? The entire of the Organization couldn't take on a Heartless like this, let alone two newbies. No wonder they hadn't come back.

"The Iceman," Xion hissed above him. Axel glanced her way, and as he watched, the cage slowly descended. Roxas was over by a crank, turning it as best as he could although he appeared to be having a little trouble. Axel would go over and help him, but he had a giant Heartless to fight.

Again, his element went around the room, still avoiding the kids. The air was too cold surrounding the Iceman, so it wouldn't catch there, but at least it kept the Heartless trapped for now.

The Iceman formed a weapon in its meaty fist, a club made of ice, and swung it at Axel. With an urgent, guttural yell, Axel called forth his other chakram, and leapt at the creature.

* * *

_*lol im no good at battle scenes*_

* * *

Axel felt _Cure_ after _Cure_ overtake him as he struck and was struck. His face met the ground more than once, he was ashamed to admit. This Heartless was a real pain in the ass; more so than any he'd fought before. But eventually…

He managed to scale the beast, hopping onto its club when it swung and burning finger holes into the ice to hold on tight. The beast, too stupid to realize that Axel was there, looked frantically around for its next victim. It soon spotted Roxas and Xion, both of whom had a green glow around their fingertips, and swung.

Axel didn't give it the chance.

Taking one chakram, he swung it and severed the doctor from the Heartless. Taking the other, he stabbed it in the head with one of the spikes, twisting it and digging it in deep.

The doctor fell with a _thump_ to the ground and didn't move besides a little twitch from his fingers.

The Heartless paused before it could hit the kids. It looked at Axel, and immediately went up in flames, courtesy of the chakram still buried in its face. Almost instantly, the flames melted the ice club, and Axel heard two simultaneous gasps as Roxas and Xion were, no doubt, drenched in cold water. The Heartless collapsed, and Axel leapt backwards to land nimbly on the table that Roxas had been on, dropping to his backsides.

As soon as it hit the ground, the Heartless burst into munny, health, and heart points, leaving behind nothing but those and a scorched laboratory. As usual, the health immediately flew to him, and he gasped at the sudden surge of HP. The munny stayed there, swaying a little bit, and if Axel didn't jump for it, it would roll away, but he didn't care, he didn't _care_ about the munny, all he really cared about was the—

"Axel!

Two tiny bodies scrambled over to him, shaking him, shaking themselves, asking if he was okay. His eyes slid closed and he heaved one great big breath. He reached one hand out and touched one head, feeling those ridiculously silky spikes. Roxas blew out a breath of relief when Axel touched him, making Axel laugh. "I'm fine, kids. I'm fine. Just… just _tired_. Kingdom Hearts that was tough."

Xion giggled, and when Axel opened his eyes, he saw her smiling shyly. "Well, what did you expect? You fought it all by yourself. We could have helped you." She looked between Roxas and herself, and the blond nodded furiously.

Axel looked between the two of them, these children that he hadn't seen in weeks. That Iceman Heartless was the reason that they'd disappeared. There was no doubt about that. They hadn't been strong enough to take on the Iceman at full power; there was no way that they'd be able to take it on now. "No," he said. He stretched both of his arms forward and hooked his arms around both of them, pulling them in close. "I handled it just fine. I couldn't have asked you to fight it." He felt Roxas and Xion squeeze him back, all four hands on his back shaking a little.

"It was our mission, though," Roxas mumbled into his collarbone, shifting until he was seated comfortably in his mentor's lap.

"Our _job_," Xion reiterated, leaning on Axel like she'd lost all of her strength.

"And it's done," Axel agreed, lifting his chin a little. "And we can go home. What do you say? Let's go home."

Roxas and Xion shared a look, a grin stretching across their faces. They nodded enthusiastically at him, pulling away from him.

"Let's go home!" Xion cheered.

"I wanna go home," Roxas agreed.

With a chuckle, Axel pulled both of them off of him and stood, pulling them to their feet. Once on their feet, the kids encircled his waist again in their arms, nuzzling velvety soft cheeks into his Organization-official coat.

"Thanks for coming for us, Axel," Roxas muttered, turning to hide his face entirely.

"We didn't think we'd ever see you again," Xion admitted, sniffling. "W-we thought we'd be stuck here forever… we thought he was gonna experiment on us forever…"

"Don't worry," Axel said, resting his hands in their messy, dirty hair. "I wouldn't let him keep you forever. I haven't stopped looking for you yet; I had to find you eventually."

Xion sniffled again, turning her face as Roxas had, to hide it in his coat.

Axel gave them a few extra moments, flickering his eyes up to meet with Sally and Jack. Jack gave him a mock salute and turned up the ramp. Sally smiled fondly at them and waved, before turning to follow her lover.

Finally, though, he pulled the kids off of him and turned them to the door. "Come on. Fetch your keyblades, and let's go home. We can probably use the corridors, now that that Heartless is gone."

Roxas nodded and strode forward to take his keyblade. He grabbed the hilt of it and pulled it off, running his hand along the cool metal. Axel watched in fascination as his hands started shaking, until the keyblade tumbled from his hands and clattered to the ground. Xion winced, squeezing Axel tighter.

"Rox?" Axel asked, tugging Xion forward. "You okay? Roxas?" That was an odd thing for him to do. Axel would have thought that it would be comforting to have the blades back.

"Sorry," Roxas apologized, leaning down to pick up the keyblade again. His hand hovered, outstretched, over his blade for a few moments before he shook his head and backed into Axel, wincing when Axel's taut chest stopped him. "I… I _can't_, I _c-can't_… I…"

Axel put an arm around his shoulders and turned him around, away from the blade and into the coat. Clearly, the kids still had some recovering to do, but could Axel be surprised? They'd been stuck in this godawful place for almost a month.

He didn't even test Xion. Instead, he released both of them again, crouching to grab the keyblade that was twinkling up at him. With it firmly in his grasp, he reached out for Xion's blade. Holding the two blades in one hand and Xion's hand in the other (Xion was holding Roxas' hand, and neither of them seemed to mind the set up), he called up a corridor, which stayed even when he wasn't concentrating. He turned down to grin at the kids and lifted his chin, pulling them towards the comforting darkness that was reaching out to them. "Come on, you guys. It's time to go back home. Everyone's waiting."

Without any further encouragement, Roxas and Xion followed their mentor home, not even caring what it could possibly mean, that Axel could carry a keyblade.

They'd always known that he had a heart, too.

* * *

I GOTTA GO TO WOOOOOORK I'LL SEE YOU ALL MY LOVELIES TOMORROW GOODNIIIIIIGHT.

Also, I like reviews. They make me happy. And they will be answered. Just a suggestion. :)


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